Rush Hour: Parking space requirement doubled for schools

LAHORE:

The Punjab government has doubled the minimum parking space required for new educational institutions in the city in an attempt to address the increasing gridlock at school closing hours.

Hundreds of new schools have sprung up in recent years at main roads as well as in residential areas but with little provision made for parking spaces so as not to clog the streets with traffic.

Under the Building and Zoning Regulations of 2007, a school is required to accommodate enough space to park one car for every 2,000 square feet of floor area in its building plan. Forty per cent of the total parking area must be reserved for motorbikes.

A Punjab government committee has now instructed all town municipal administrations in the city to amend the rules so that one car parking space must be reserved for every 1,000 square feet floor area. The provincial government aims to implement the new rules for educational institutions across the Punjab.

The committee, set up by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, includes Khawaja Saad Rafique, the MNA for NA-125, as convener, Lahore Parking Company Chairman and MPA Hafiz Mian Nouman, MPA Dr Saeed Elahi, MPA Mian Naseer Ahmad, Schools Education Secretary Aslam Kambo, Commissioner Jawad Rafique Malik and DCO Noorul Amin Mengal.

A separate committee has been set up to consider increasing the requirement for parking space at cinemas. Currently, cinemas must have space for one car for every five seats.

EDO (Municipal Services) Masud Tamanna said that the building plans for schools already approved by the city government could not be altered.

“But we can alter regulations for schools yet to be built,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2012.